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New Zealand Waikato Oolong Loose Leaf Oolong Tea

12 reviews
$31.99
$31.99
$0.43 per cup
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ⓘYour precious tea really needs to be kept airtight and away from light once you open it - we'd strongly recommend one of our tins to keep it safe.
Do you need a tin to store your tea?

The Tea Masters in New Zealand work from a simple precept; tea is a science, but it is also an art. It’s this kind of attitude to tea making that we admire. The leaves are hand harvested and crafted to reveal extraordinary complexity of flavour; floral notes, succulent vegetal greens, tropical fruit and a creamy sweetness.

This Oolong Loose Leaf Tea from New Zealand has certain resemblances to our Iron Goddess of Mercy (tieguanyin) yet is unique and nuanced. Try them side by side and find out for yourself.

The fresh-tasting leaves are unroasted giving a green, slightly mineral note, with a long-lasting sweetness, reminiscent of crème anglaise. The second infusion reveals a hint of fresh pea sprouts.

31p per cup based on 2g of tea per 150ml of water and 3 infusions.

Zealong Estate, Waikato, New Zealand

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Recommended Infusion Guide

  • Quantity

    Use 0.1 oz of leaf per 5.5 fl oz of water.

  • Temperature

    For the optimum infusion use 194°F water.

  • Time

    Infuse for 1 - 2 minutes, tasting regularly.

  • Infusions

    You can infuse this tea at least three times. With each careful infusion, different subtleties of flavour are revealed.

NaN -Infinity

How to infuse your tea is very personal, and these are just our recommendations based on experience. Please experiment with these variables to your heart's delight. These are our recommendations, not hard and fast rules. The most delicious tea is the one you love.

Our guide uses a standard tea cup size (150ml/5.5 oz) as a measure, please adjust the quantity of leaf accordingly for less or more water. Our whole loose leaves are of such a high quality that you can infuse our teas at least twice, and the second infusion is often better than the first, with different flavours revealed as the leaf softens. If you prefer your tea stronger, add more leaf, don’t leave it for longer (this will just make it bitter).

A gaiwan is the ultimate way to enjoy your oolong tea. Used in China since the Ming dynasty (over 900 years ago), gaiwans are unassuming but beautifully functional teapots that can be used to explore tea to its fullest – the following method can be used to make up to six infusions.

Start with 4-6g of oolong tea and pop it in the gaiwan teapot. Boil a kettle to 100°C/212°F, then pour an inch of the water on the leaf for a few seconds, then discard this liquid. This "wash" softens the rolled leaf and allows the water to penetrate.

Next, fill the gaiwan with hot water to just below the rim, infuse for 5-10 seconds and strain completely into your cup or a jug. There's no need to reheat the water as you go, because the softened leaves will require lower temperatures to release their flavours - but you will need to extend the time to 10-20 seconds for later steeps. We recommend at least six infusions to allow the leaf to completely open out and reveal all its beauty.

For a more comprehensive guide to using a gaiwan see our full guide here:

HOW TO MAKE OOLONG WITH A GAIWAN

Here is a short video demonstrating how to get the most out of your precious oolong leaves with a gaiwan:

Seedlings

Careful propagation

In 1996 the Zealong Estate imported rigorously-selected tea cuttings from the best tea growing regions across Asia.

Over 1,500 seedlings were imported yet only 130 survived the rigorous New Zealand quarantine regulations. Through careful propagation these now flourish in the fertile soil and clean air.

CLIMATE

Gentle sunshine, and abundant rainfall

This climate is the gift that keeps on giving; abundant rainfall, ideal temperatures with the right amount of sunshine and free-draining acidic soil.

Customer Reviews
4.5 Based on 12 Reviews
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PA
07 June 2024
Petra A.
United Kingdom

Favorite

One of my all time favorites!

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PA
04 May 2024
Petra A.
United Kingdom

My favorite Oolong..

What a unique and truly special tea! It has all the complexity, pureness, mildly floral, balanced and fresh-tasting character I am looking for in an unroasted Oolong. It tastes so delicous, brew after brew. I simply love it and will order it time and time again. When it comes to tea, terroir is all. I mean, New Zealand!!

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WB
04 August 2022
william B.
United Kingdom

A Mightu Oolong

This is at the full and vigorous end of the oolong spectrum and yet with a delicate smokey taste as well. Very distinctive and classy and now a regular on my shopping list

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A
18 December 2021
Alex
Australia

Exquisite

This tea is so beautiful it almost brings me to tears. An amazing piece of art. I'm honored to serve my friends this tea.

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*Availability of rates depends on location and order weight. For a complete overview of our shipping rates please see our delivery page. Prices displayed at the checkout are based on live currency exchange rates and may differ slightly from this list.

The Rare Tea Lady believes that our teas are some of the greatest in the world, and that our range and service are second to none.

In the isolated case that you are not completely satisfied with any product you purchase from our website, please get in contact with our customer services team to discuss returning your order.*

In most instances, we will give you a full refund of the item's cost, excluding postage. We may ask you to return the item to us.** Customers in the UK & European Union have statutory rights not affected by this guarantee, but any tea pouches must remained sealed for this to be in effect.

*We only accept returns/refunds for tea within 30 days of receipt, because it is impossible for us to know if the tea has been stored correctly.

**We will endeavour to ask for pictures where possible - but if you have changed your mind and are outside of any statutory rights time period, return postage is payable by you.

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